Mets weighing options as they wait for lefty Jason Vargas to return

Mar 1, 2018; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Jason Vargas (40) delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Miami Marlins during a spring training game at First Data Field.(Photo: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports)

ATLANTA — The Mets' starting pitchers are once again competing for their jobs.

With lefty Jason Vargas set to return to the rotation as early as next weekend's series in San Diego, the Mets will soon decide which starter will lose his spot in the rotation.

Zack Wheeler, Steven Matz and Thursday's starter, Matt Harvey, are battling for two spots. Each has impressed at times early in the season.

"I’d like to say everybody can relax and just go out there and pitch their game and nothing would happen. Something has to happen eventually. There is that added pressure," Mets manager Mickey Callaway said before the Mets opened a four-game series in Atlanta. "I hope they don’t feel it and it affects what they are trying to do. We’re going to make the best decision for the team. It might not be the guy who is performing the worst. It might be the guy who can go in the bullpen and help us out the most. We’re trying to take it day by day and we’ll make the best decision for the team."

Vargas is guaranteed a spot in the rotation after signing a deal worth up to $16 million, and is progressing toward making his season debut. He will make a rehab start Sunday, and provided there are no setbacks, that puts him in line to return next weekend.

A lot could change between now and then, but, at the moment, the Mets don't have an opening since all the starting pitchers are healthy.

New York Mets starting pitcher Matt Harvey works in the first inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves on Thursday, April 19, 2018, in Atlanta.(Photo: John Bazemore, AP)

Harvey, Matz and Wheeler competed for spots during camp and Wheeler failed to earn a spot, but the team is now evaluating them on games that actually count.

Wheeler has pitched the best of the three so far, posting a 2.77 ERA spanning two starts. He's completed at least six innings in both outings.

Matz is 1-1 with a 4.42, and has been inconsistent. He lasted just four innings in two of his starts, but also turned into a fantastic effort against the Nationals on April 7.

Harvey entered Thursday with a 4.80 ERA spanning three starts. He started the season with on a strong note by throwing five scoreless innings against the Phillies, but struggled in his previous two innings against Washington and Milwaukee.

"He’s battled. I don’t think we’ve seen his best stuff," Callaway said. "I never like to make excuses for anybody, but he’s pitched on probably the three most brutal nights for us, so it will be nice to see him get out here in a little bit of warmth and see what he can do."

Once the Mets decide which pitcher to remove from the rotation, they then will have to decide whether that pitcher will be sent to the bullpen or the minors. Using a six-man rotation is also on the table that would only delay the decision.

Callaway initially said the odd man out will be sent to the minors before declaring that all options are on the table. The Mets originally sent Wheeler to the minors when he didn't crack the rotation to allow him to work on things as a starting pitcher.

The team has preferred to keep a starter stretched out in the minors the past few years, but they have minor leaguers who could fill in if needed for a spot start.

There is uncertainty about whether any of the three could function as a reliever, and Callaway said a "big component" would be the willingness of the pitcher to move to the bullpen. The injury history of those three also has to be factored into the decision since since all three have struggled to stay healthy the last few years.

"We have to take a look what they do in between starts," Callaway said of a move to the bullpen. "Do they bounce back when they throw their pens? Or able to get after it? A lot of that stuff in between starts can give you an idea," Callaway said. "You never truly know until you put them in there like we did (Robert) Gsellman and (Seth) Lugo."